This weekend in the Premier League, Arsenal dropped points as they lost 1-0 to West Ham United. Liverpool took advantage of this by beating Manchester City 2-0. This means the Reds are now 11 points clear at the division's summit.
However, re-ranking the Premier League by total points in the past five seasons tells a different story.
Premier League table
TEAM | RECORD (last five games) | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
Liverpool | W-D-W-D-W | 64 |
Arsenal | D-W-W-W-L | 53 |
Nottingham Forest | W-L-W-L-L | 47 |
Man City | W-W-L-W-L | 44 |
Newcastle | L-W-L-L-W | 44 |
Bournemouth | W-W-L-W-L | 43 |
Chelsea | W-L-W-L-L | 43 |
Aston Villa | D-L-D-D-W | 42 |
Brighton | W-D-D-W-W | 40 |
Fulham | W-L-W-W-L | 39 |
Brentford | L-W-L-W-W | 37 |
Tottenham | L-L-W-W-W | 33 |
Crystal Palace | W-L-W-L-W | 33 |
Everton | W-W-D-W-D | 31 |
Man United | L-W-L-L-D | 30 |
West Ham | L-D-L-L-W | 30 |
Wolves | L-L-W-L-W | 22 |
Ipswich | L-L-L-D-L | 17 |
Leicester | L-W-L-L-L | 17 |
Southampton | L-L-W-L-L | 9 |
And here is what things look like if we reorder by total points in the past 5 seasons combined.
Premier League table ranked by total points in the past 5 seasons
TEAM | POINTS |
|---|---|
Man City | 403 |
Liverpool | 374 |
Arsenal | 356 |
Man United | 297 |
Tottenham | 292 |
Chelsea | 291 |
Aston Villa | 275 |
Newcastle | 269 |
West Ham | 243 |
Brighton | 242 |
Crystal Palace | 219 |
Everton | 205 |
Wolves | 205 |
Brentford | 181 |
Fulham | 166 |
Leicester | 162 |
Bournemouth | 130 |
Leeds | 128 |
Nottingham Forest | 117 |
Southampton | 117 |
Burnley | 98 |
Sheffield United | 39 |
West Brom | 26 |
Luton | 26 |
Watford | 23 |
Norwich | 22 |
Ipswich | 17 |
Man City are top
City has had a disappointing season, but they are at the top of the recorded division based on the last five seasons. It is no surprise, as they have four in a row and are still fourth in this campaign. Pep Guardiola's side are the only team in Premier League ever to lift the title in four straight seasons. Therefore, it was bound to happen that there would be a sudden drop in form at some point due to complacency.
Guardiola has vowed to stay on as manager and get City back on top by signing a new contract this season until 2027. They will need to rebuild their roster as they have had some poor transfer windows recently. However, with the money that City have, they are sure to back Guardiola.
We are still yet to know the outcome of the Premier League's 115 charges against City. However, talk of City being given a points deduction or thrown at the division has gone quiet. This has also been due to Erling Haaland extending his deal at the club until 2034. If Haaland is to stay for that long, City have a chance of continued domination of the Premier League.
Ipswich rock bottom
Ipswich Town is at the bottom of the reordered division, but they have yet to complete a full season in the Premier League. The Tractor Boys spent 22 years outside of English soccer's top flight. Ipswich would want to get one over their local rivals Norwich City by claiming more points than the Canaries managed in their only recent campaign in the division.
Man United top four
Manchester United have not won the Premier League since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson back in 2013. Being the manager of United has been a tough act to follow since Ferguson left. However, the Red Devils remain in the top four based on the last five seasons.
This campaign has been a huge disappointment as United are currently 15th in the division. The arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe as a part-owner of the club was supposed to be a turning point. However, the running of the club has gotten worse. They replaced Erik ten Hag with Ruben Amorim earlier in the season despite backing the Dutchman heavily over the summer.
Supporters are not happy about ticket prices, and club staff have been cut. One of the most embarrassing moments of the Ratcliffe era was the hiring and firing of sporting director Dan Ashworth after just five months.
United do not have a clear vision, and Amorim could turn out to be another highly-rated coach whose career turns sour at Old Trafford. It does not look like United will be able to get out of this slump any time soon.
Big six intact
The so-called 'big six' clubs of Man City, Man United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool remain at the top of the reordered division. They are the most supported clubs in England and this is down to their success.
The six clubs were even part of the European Super League debacle back in 2021. They, along with other top teams from the continent, tried to create their competition. However, due to fan and media backlash, they withdrew from the proposed tournament.
Teams such as Aston Villa, West Ham United, Newcastle United and Brighton are not too far behind the 'big six.' This shows how being a top club in English soccer is a fluid situation. During the next five seasons, we could have a different order. The European Super League was designed to keep the 'big six' at the top, but thankfully, it was stopped. Although, the threat of it has never fully gone away.